# The Novena App vs iConfess

The clearest difference is rating: The Novena App at 4.8 against iConfess's 4.0. The Novena App also leads on ratings volume (913 vs 70). iConfess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Novena App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. iConfess asks for nothing beyond the download.

The Novena App holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Novena App has 913 ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 42% of The Novena App's written reviews are positive against 52% of iConfess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

The Novena App ships an update every 6 months, iConfess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Novena App | iConfess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (913 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-novena-app/id6443744076/reviews)** | [4.0 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iconfess-confession-guide/id6445905256/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **913** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | **51.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 82 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Reeba Sebastian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1281813035) | [Xavier Polisetty](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599243771) |

## What reviewers say

### The Novena App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-novena-app/id6443744076)

This app provides a comprehensive collection of traditional Catholic novenas to deepen faith and strengthen connection with God. Users can access a vast array of prayers, create personalized novenas, and track their spiritual journey with a user-friendly interface and helpful features like dark mode and quick search.

**Highlights:** Vast array of traditional Catholic novenas, Create and track personalized prayers, Favorite and easily access beloved novenas, Dark Mode for comfortable reading, Clean, intuitive user interface, Quick search for instant access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Novena Plus | $0.99 | per month |
| Novena Pro | $4.99 | per 6 months |
| Novena Go | $8.99 | per year |


### iConfess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iconfess-confession-guide/id6445905256)

This app helps Catholics engage more regularly with the sacrament of confession. It provides guidance on how to make a good confession, locate nearby churches with confession times, and set reminders to foster spiritual habits.

**Highlights:** Examination of conscience guide, Find nearby confession times, Set confession reminders, Spiritual habit formation, Guidance for making a good confession

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for preparing for confession
- 👍 Helpful for tracking sins
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Makes confession easier
- 👍 Good for daily examinations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes frequently
- 🐛 Buttons don't work
- 🐛 Examination of conscience gets stuck
- 🐛 Inconsistent button actions
- 🐛 AI integration broken

**Reported bugs**

- Examination of conscience gets stuck on 8th commandment on iPhone
- App constantly locks up
- Button actions don't work
- Unable to choose 'married' as proper ID
- Examination of conscience hangs at 8th commandment

**Requested features**

- Allow editing confession log
- Record date of last confession
- Option to choose 'married' as proper ID
- Ability to write daily within the app
- Link or questionnaire for applying reminders


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Novena App free?

The Novena App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is iConfess free?

iConfess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Novena App or iConfess?

The Novena App is rated higher. The Novena App averages 4.8 out of 5 from 913 ratings, while iConfess averages 4.0 from 70 ratings.

### Do The Novena App or iConfess have ads?

The Novena App shows ads; iConfess does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Novena App or iConfess?

The Novena App ships an update every 6 months, and iConfess every 2 months. Most recently, The Novena App was updated on November 7, 2026 and iConfess on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*